Gov. Kasich hits the road with his unruly allies: Thomas Suddes

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerGov. John Kasich talks to The Plain Dealer's editorial board on Jan. 10.

In Ohio, as in Dixie, Republicans seem united on only one thing: gladdening the hearts of Democrats.

If, as might happen -- though it probably won't -- the Grand Old Party nominates former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich for president, Democratic President Barack Obama is as good as re-elected.

Gingrich's chief Republican rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, is no ball of fire. But what's required to unseat Obama is a GOP nominee who can convince the country, not singe it. Gingrich, in contrast, is living proof of H.L. Mencken's claim that "the only way to success in American public life lies in flattering and kowtowing to the mob."

On Tuesday, Florida's presidential preference primary could prove to be Gingrich's Waterloo, however. So Ohio Republicans seemingly have a backup plan to encourage Democrats: Rock (Republican) Gov. John Kasich's boat.

On the Kasich front, some General Assembly Republicans last week set a new high (or, depending on your preferences, a new low) in caucus-Kasich relations.

Kasich will deliver his annual State of the State speech in Steubenville on Feb. 7. It's believed to be the first time a governor will deliver a State of the State speech outside Columbus.

It's customary, but not mandatory, to give a State of the State speech to a joint session of the Ohio House and the state Senate. It's possible, but not certain, that the House and Senate couldn't hold a session outside Columbus -- even a ceremonial session -- without some kind of formal resolution.

So that, last week, was what House Speaker William Batchelder, a Medina Republican, asked the House and Senate to do: Pass a joint resolution to set a joint session for Feb. 7 at the exemplary Steubenville public school, Wells Academy, that Kasich has chosen as the site of his State of the State speech.

But the House, though it's ruled 59-40 by the GOP, only agreed to Batchelder's Steubenville resolution in a 52-42 vote.

The resolution required 50 votes to pass in the 99-seat House, a Batchelder spokesman said. That means a 52-42 roll-call tally was razor thin. In fact, it passed only with the help of 10 House Democrats, including Minority Leader Armond Budish of Beachwood. (Among the other nine Democrats voting "yes" were Reps. John Barnes and Mike Foley, both of Cleveland, and Zack Milkovich of Akron.)

On what's supposed to be the other side of the aisle were 14 Republicans who -- whatever their claims -- chose to snub Kasich. They joined 28 (predictable) Democrats in voting "no." Among the 14 Republicans sending some kind of message to a Republican governor were Reps. Terry Boose of Norwalk; Mike Dovilla of Berea; Christina Hagan of Alliance; Kristina Roegner of Hudson; and Lynn R. Wachtmann of Napoleon, who seems to have become scoutmaster of this session's Caveman (Cave-person?) Caucus.

In the Senate, in contrast, every Republican present, plus Democratic Sens. Charleta Tavares of Columbus and Lou Gentile of Steubenville, voted "yes" to authorize the Steubenville session.

In the larger scheme of things, hometown Republican voters won't notice or much care about the anti-Kasich snub. And his ample self-regard likely immunizes Kasich from resenting the cross-aisle patty-cake by people who on most days and issues are supposed to be his allies.

But the House roll call, plus Kasich's bid to unseat Republican State Chairman Kevin DeWine of suburban Dayton, suggests that what's supposed to be Ohio's GOP machine may be anything but.

Suddes, a member of The Plain Dealer's editorial board, writes from Ohio University.

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